


the dolor and the drain, dallient and dainty

by handschuhmaus



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blue Cheese - Freeform, Gen, bildungsroman, bittersweet fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2020-05-12 15:12:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19231654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/handschuhmaus/pseuds/handschuhmaus
Summary: this is about feeling adult in making the transition from "kids" things to unmarkedly adult things. It's been roughly 10-15 years since I went through that ;) but nevertheless, this was inspired by eating a Cobb salad with blue cheese dressing for the first time. I did start eating blue cheese at roughly that age, thoughtitle is a mashup of "Los Angeles, I'm Yours" lyrics from the Decemberists, (which was also the only musical vocabulary I had to react to Chicago, the largest city to which I've been.)





	the dolor and the drain, dallient and dainty

**Author's Note:**

> this is about feeling adult in making the transition from "kids" things to unmarkedly adult things. It's been roughly 10-15 years since I went through that ;) but nevertheless, this was inspired by eating a Cobb salad with blue cheese dressing for the first time. I did start eating blue cheese at roughly that age, though
> 
> title is a mashup of "Los Angeles, I'm Yours" lyrics from the Decemberists, (which was also the only musical vocabulary I had to react to Chicago, the largest city to which I've been.)

"Should I?" Anakin muttered to Shmi, his mother, as they waited in the restaurant's lobby for their dining companions. He was pointing at the list of salads on the menu the hostess was letting them peruse.

"If you think you'd like it," she offered, a hard-won smile on her face. 

They were not so close as they once had been; 18 months away at school, seeing his mother only in summer and for a week at the holidays tended to make the relationship difficult. She had only just picked him up, and he'd forced down all the excitement that threatened to bubble through, because Obi-Wan said it wasn't befitting of his student. And yet, like in the Harry Potter books some of his classmates whispered about, the kids all got sent home for the summer.

Unlike Harry, Anakin had not found close friends at boarding school. He had been assigned Obi-Wan Kenobi as guardian at school, and he was nice enough, but most of the other children had been together since they were toddlers, and didn't warm to him, an outsider. He didn't get to see Mr. Jinn either, for after the man's injuries in the knife fight just after he'd met , he had taken extended leave to recover.

Once a month while at school, guardians would take their assigned children out for lunch or dinner. Obi-Wan and Anakin almost always went to Dex's Diner, or sometimes the Dragon's Garden, and he'd ask Anakin what he wanted from the kids' menu (grilled cheese, hamburger, cheeseburger, or chicken strips) at Dex's, or order him sweet and sour chicken with rice (the friendliest item he said) and himself lo mein. If it had been with Shmi, Anakin would have asked to try Mom's order too, but that seemed to breech a gap that shouldn't be crossed with Obi-Wan. 

Also about once a month, Mr. Palpatine--Senator (in the state)--Palpatine, would visit with Anakin, for some reason. He supposed it might sound creepy, but he liked the older man, who let him choose his own ice cream (well, within reason. Last year he'd asked, pushing things, if he couldn't have a Texas Skillet Sundae, and Palpatine had pointed out that he probably couldn't eat near all of it, and even if he did, it would probably make him sick) and, today, in fact, for Anakin's upcoming birthday, was treating the Skywalkers to lunch (with a friend of his, who Anakin had met once). He had said it was very important to acknowledge one's debts and well...Anakin had, as a nine year old, without quite realizing what he was doing, defused a riot threatening the whole city that served as the county seat in Palpatine's district. 

The menu the hostess was letting them peruse as they waited was unfamiliar, and he'd never eaten a _meal_ with Palpatine before, let alone Mr. Damask. It made him nervous about how his choice of food might reflect on him, and if being adventurous would be frowned upon--it could mean wasted food!

But they did serve various things in the school cafeteria, and with the heat outside, a fancy (and supposedly classic?) salad sounded very sophisticated, and interesting. And adult. Maybe they would think Anakin was growing up and not so much a mere kid any more

"What are you going to get?" Anakin asked Shmi.

"The club sandwich, I think. It should probably be good, and it's not too expensive. But pick what sounds good to you, Ani, I think he would be insulted if you tried to pick the cheapest thing. Just don't go overboard and order enough for four people, okay?" Mom smiled at him, but it was a thin smile and he was only more concerned, if about her rather than his lunch order.

But before he could rehash the many concerns he had over her (and their) mode of existence, his anxiety was headed off by the somewhat dramatic entrance of Mr. Damask. To be fair, he had probably ignored the little sign that said, in fancy lettering, "Use This Door" on one side of the double doors--when Anakin had first pulled on them, he had nearly done the same thing.

"Anakin Skywalker?" The tall man asked, surveying the two of them.

He could only say nervously, "Hello, Mr. Damask."

**Author's Note:**

> to be continued ~~: I am a fool!~~


End file.
